TOPIC

My Favourite Sports

Everybody knows that sport is an important part of healthy lifestyle. Fortunately, there are many opportunities nowadays to do different types of sports. First of all, we always have lessons of physical education at school. Secondly, from the very childhood I attend martial arts, to be precise karate lessons. It’s one of my favourite types of pastime. I’ve had several teachers and all of them were highly professional.

Another sport that I enjoy is swimming. I’m just an amateur, and I often go to the nearest swimming-pool. Luckily in summer I get a chance to swim in the open sea. I’m not the only sport lover in our family. My younger brother is also keen on sport. His favourite sport is basketball and he is really good at it.

Besides doing sports, I like watching different games on TV. Every winter, for example, I watch figure skating, boxing and hockey championships. In summer I enjoy watching football and bicycling. Besides active games, there are also some other types of games which also refer to sports, among them chess, backgammon, checks, air hockey, bowling and others. When I have free time I do play these games with my friends. I don’t think there are any types of sport which I don’t like.

Traditional Children's Games: Games with Balls

In countries around the world, children love playing games with balls. Playing these games, they learn to handle the ball in different ways and develop special skills. Most of all, they have a lot of fun.

A student from Mexico describes a game called Keep the Ball that she enjoyed playing when she was a child, and a student from Colombia writes about Oba, a game that was popular in her country when she was a child.

Boys in Mexico enjoy playing a game of ball in the square.

Keep the Ball

Lizeth Diarte from Mexico

When I was a child, I used to play many games outside like hide and seek and marbles, but the game that was the most fun was a game called Keep the Ball. Once a year, we used to visit my father's family in a very small town in Sinaloa. My sister, brother and I spent every afternoon of our vacation playing all kinds of games with our cousins, but the game we always preferred was Keep the Ball.

How to Play This Game
To play this game, you form two teams. There is no limit on the number of players. It's played with your hands and sometimes with your feet. You play with a soft ball and before the game, you decide the rules: for example, the time of the game and the size of the field.

The game starts when somebody throws the ball up to the sky. The player who catches the ball has to keep the ball for his team. He has to throw the ball to his partners and each person on the opposite team has to try to 'steal' the ball. You can't return the ball to the person who gives it to you. When the time is up, the team that has dept the ball wins.

Keep the Ball is a game that keeps you moving all the time, and I enjoyed it because we laughed a lot, especially when some of us didn't catch the ball.

Activities practiced for recreational purposes (fun, relaxation, health) and often taking the form of competitions sanctioned by official bodies.

BALL SPORTS

Individual or team sports played by throwing or hitting a solid or inflated ball.

baseball

Sport with two opposing teams of nine players who attempt to score points by hitting a ball with a bat and running from one base to the next until they reach home plate; a game lasts nine innings, during which teams alternate from offense (at bat) to defense (in the field).

field	player positions	pitch
batter	catcher	baseball
cross section of a baseball	bat	fielder’s glove

softball

Sport akin to baseball but played on a smaller field; it differs from baseball in that the pitcher throws the ball underhand and not overhand.

cricket

Sport with two opposing teams of 11 players who attempt to score points by hitting a ball with a bat and running between two wickets; teams alternate between offense (at the bat) and defense (in the field).

field [1]	field [2]	field [3]
cricket player: batsman	cricket ball	bat

field hockey

Sport with two opposing teams of 11 players who attempt to score in the opponent’s goal by hitting a ball with a stick.

playing field	field player	goalkeeper
stick

soccer

Sport with two opposing teams of 11 players who attempt to score in the opponent’s goal by kicking or knocking the ball in with any part of the body except the arms and hands.

playing field	player positions	soccer player

rugby

Sport with two opposing teams of 15 players that attempt to score points by carrying the ball into the in goal or kicking it between the uprights.

field	players’ positions	rugby player

football

Sport with two opposing teams of 11 players who attempt to score points by moving the ball into the end zone or kicking it between the goalposts.

playing field	goal	scrimmage: offense
scrimmage: defense	football player	protective equipment [1]
protective equipment [2]

Canadian football

Similar to American football, it has two opposing teams of 12 players; the main difference is that there are only three downs to gain 10 yards.

netball

Sport played mainly by women with two opposing teams of seven players; teams score points by throwing a ball into the opponent’s basket.

basketball

Sport with two opposing teams of five players who score points by throwing a ball into the opposing team’s basket.

court	player positions	backstop
basketball player

volleyball

Sport with two opposing teams of six players who try to ground the ball in the opposing zone by hitting it over the net with their hands.

court	techniques [1]	techniques [2]
beach volleyball

handball

Sport with two opposing teams of seven players who try to score points by throwing the ball into the opposing team’s net.

court	player positions

Football

"Football is like life — it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority." – Vince Lombardi

So, let’s talk about one of the most popular sport games all over the world — Football.

It is the national sport of most European and Latin–American countries.
Millions of people play football. It's even in the Olympics! Games similar to football were played in China as early as 400 ВС. Egyptians played some kind of football too and kicking the ball was involved. In about 200 AD Roman citizens played a game in which two teams tried to score by advancing a ball across a line on the field. Theу passed it to each other, but never kicked it. During the 1800's the people of England played a game similar to football. Many rules have changed since then. 

Modern football has grown to a global scale, including men's and women's teams, the World Cups and European Championship competitions, that take place every four years. Also, there are League of Champions and FIFA Cup competitions which take place every year in Europe.

Nowadays there are two types of football: European and American. By the way, in America european football is called soccer. A soccer team is composed of 11 players: a goalkeeper, backs, half–backs and forwards. The captain of the team is usually the oldest or the best player. The football pitch should be between 100 and 130 meters long and between 50 and 100 meters wide. It's divided into two halves by the halfway line. In the middle of the field, there is a center circle and goals at each end of the field with the penalty areas. There is a penalty spot inside such area and a penalty arc outside of it. A game of football usually lasts for one and a half hour. At halftime, the teams change ends. The aim of each team is to score as many goals as possible.

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are an international sports competition which are held every four years in a different city. Thousands of athletes from all over the world compete against each other in individual and team sports. Over 1 billion people watch the games on TV.

The first Olympic Games were held in Greece in 776 B.C. They were called the ancient games and lasted until the 4th century A.D. The modern games began in 1896, when the Frenchman Pierre de Coubertin revived the games to bring peace and friendship to the young people all over the world.

Today, there are summer and winter games. Up to 1994 both games were held in the same year, but now they are staged two years apart from each other.

Ceremonies and symbols

The Olympic Games begin with the opening ceremony. Athletes from all the participating nations march into the stadium. Greece comes in first, because it was the first nation to hold the Olympics and the host nation comes in last.

The Olympic flag is raised and a chosen athlete lights the Olympic flame. It is a symbol of spirit, knowledge and life. The fire comes from Olympia, a small town in Greece and many runners transport the flame in a torch relay to the site of the games. It burns from the opening ceremony until the end of the games.

The Olympic rings were created in 1913 and represent the five continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Americas).

All athletes must take the Olympic oath. One of them has to promise that all athletes will give their best and compete in a fair way.

After each event, medals are given to the first three athletes. They receive gold, silver and bronze medals. Their flags are raised and the national anthem of the winner's country is played.

The International Olympic Committee

The IOC is the organisation that governs the games. It decides which sports and events are held at the games. The IOC also selects the host city for the summer and winter games, at least seven years before they take place. Cities that want the games must show that

• they have enough stadiums for all events
• they have enough room for all the athletes
• they can provide safety for the athletes
• they can transport athletes and spectators from one event to another

Host cities must build an Olympic village where all athletes live during the games.

How can athletes take part?

Normally, each country decides for itself which sportsmen and –women are allowed to take part. Athletes must qualify for the games by winning or doing well in competitions before the Olympic Games start.

Athletes, who are sent to the games by their country must be a citizen of that country. For years, only amateurs were able to participate in the games, but today, most athletes are professionals, who earn their money through sport.

Most governments give their team money so that it can take part in the games.

The ancient Games

The ancient Olympic Games were celebrated at Olympia, Greece every four years. They were held in honour of the god Zeus. In the early games, only Greek men were allowed to participate. The games consisted of sports like footraces, wrestling, boxing, the pentathlon and horse racing. The last event of the games was usually a chariot race.

When the Romans conquered Greece in 140 B.C. the games started to lose their religious meaning and in 393 the Roman emperor banned the event.

The Summer Games

The Summer Games are held during the summer season of the host country. They last for 16 days. Today, there are more than 270 events during the games. Over 15,000 athletes from 190 nations take part.

The next Summer Games will be held in London (2012).

The Winter Games

The first separate Winter Games were held in Chamonix, France in 1924. They usually take place in February. Today, the Winter Olympics include over 60 events. Athletes from more than 60 countries participate.

Politics and the Olympic Games

In the past, the Olympic Games have been disturbed by political issues. In 1936 the IOC chose Berlin as the site for the 1936 Summer Games. A few years later, Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party rose to power and Hitler used the games to show Germany's power.

In 1968 two Black American runners protested against their government and raised their fists when the American national anthem was played.

In 1980 the USA—and many other countries—didn't send athletes to the games in Moscow because the Soviet Union had invaded Afghanistan a year before. In return, the Russians and other Communist countries refused to take part in the 1984 games in Los Angeles.

The worst day in Olympic history came on September 5th, 1972 during the Munich games. Eight Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic village and killed two Israeli athletes. 9 others were taken hostage. They wanted the Israeli government to set free over 400 Arab prisoners in Israel. During a battle with German policemen all hostages and the terrorists were killed.

Olympia today

The Olympic Games have become very successful over the past years. More and more people are able to watch them on TV and television stations are spending more money for the rights to broadcast the games. The IOC earns more money than ever before. With this money they help athletes in poorer countries.

Drugs have become a big problem. Some athletes take drugs before and during the games in order to help their muscles grow. When they are caught they are disqualified and their medals are taken away from them.

What is the United Kingdom?

Its full title is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland but you might hear people call it Britain, Great Britain or simply the UK.

The United Kingdom is made up of four countries - England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The biggest island is divided into three countries – England, Wales and Scotland. This island is about 1100 kilometres long and is 480 kilometres wide at its widest point. At its nearest point only the 35km of the English Channel separate it from the coast of France.

England’s capital city, London, is also the capital of the UK. Most of England is lowland although there are upland areas, mostly towards the north west of the country.

Wales is to the west of the island, next to the Irish Sea. Its capital city, Cardiff, is on the south coast of the country. Wales is more mountainous than England, particularly in north and mid Wales.

Scotland is to the north of the country. It consists of two very different regions; the highlands, in the north of Scotland, and the lowlands in the south, on the border with England. As its name suggests, the Highland region is mountainous and sparsely populated. The lowland region is where most of Scotland’s population (just over five million people) live. The capital city is Edinburgh but the largest city is Glasgow.

Across the Irish Sea lies the island of Ireland. Only the north east corner (Northern Ireland) is part of the UK. The rest of the island is a separate country, the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland (population 1.8 million) is a hilly country which boasts the largest inland body of water in the UK, Lough Neagh, at 390 square kilometres.

The kingdoms of Scotland and England were united in 1707. In September 2014, the people of Scotland voted in a referendum to decide whether Scotland should remain in the United Kingdom. By 55% to 45%, Scotland voted to remain in the United Kingdom.

Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland all have strong senses of national identity. Are there strong national or regional identities where you live? How do you feel about them? Have these changed over time? Share your comments in the discussion below.